Ibanez April 2026: RGR431

The thing about Ibanez, it does not neglect the more affordable range for the masses. This RGR431 here lists for $629 (in stock at Swee Lee). There's nothing really special about a fixed, bridge RG with a reverse headstock but a closer look reveals a matching poplar burl top for both the body & headstock. Just wish that the finish of this guitar was not black (Ibanez calls it charcoal gray) as this failed to accentuate the burl top. 

Pic: Ibanez

Misha's baritone

This ragged Jackson guitar is a signature baritone for guitarist Misha Mansoor (Periphery). It's referred to as a Surfcaster but we know that's not how a Surfcaster headstock looks like. But it doesn't matter, a signature interpretation lets the endorser dictates how his instrument should look like. If you like the guitar, you just buy it. This one's listed for USD8,999...

Pic: Jackson

SOLAR: S1.6H-RSO

The new SOLAR S1.6H is not just a neck-through model; the neck rear had been satin-ized as depicted above. There are players here who prefer a glossed over body but not the neck. They want the neck to retain the matching hue but dislike that lacquer overcoat as it makes the surface sticky when the fretting hand gets sweaty. Love the fact that the SOLAR fretboard inlay had been darkened to blend into the ebony.

Pic: SOLAR

Mango

PRS is currently doing a limited run of instruments featuring a mango wood top. Mr PRS himself, in a recent dialogue at the launch of this lineup, did not mention any tone-related benefits of this wood type save for the fact that they look good as guitar tops. Waiting for any coconut, durian & perhaps a jackfruit top in time to come should they decide to extend this oriental wood interest.

Pic: PRS

Black Crane

Belated congratulations to Ms Janet & Davis GMC on their official launch of Black Crane guitar store. This unit is located at Level 2, Peninsula Shopping Center, just next to the escalator (Lavanita used to be here).

BC's focus is the offering of boutique Japanese guitars; ESP, Momose & Headway are currently on the list. There will be a selection of pre-loved instruments in the near future. Please visit their webstore: CLICK.

Incantation @ SG

If you enjoyed their 2018 performance & would want to re-live another crushing episode, they will be here mid-year (June). At the time of this posting, tickets are not on sale yet. Updates soon.

Pic: Vent Box

Pro-M Jake

Was looking at this new Charvel Jake E Lee model, the Pro-Mod version. Unlike the American take, this one does not sport a matching body-headstock finish which I thought looks more appealing. This is one of those guitars that combined Seymour Duncan (JB, bridge) & DiMarzio (SDS-1, middle / neck) tonalities to give the player the best of both worlds (aggression vs smoothness). The previous Pro-Mod (featuring a pickguard) listed for slightly more than $2K, hope this one doesn't stray too far off this mark. 

Pic: Charvel

Ibanez April 2026: 5111

This is my kind of guitar (RGR5111); single pickup + fixed bridge. Wish that humbucker was a passive unit. Looks like Ibanez had gone big this April (spring). Good additions to the lineup in various series / tiers.

Pic: Ibanez

Ibanez April 2026: Solid AE

The people at Ibanez must have been reading my aversion for their non-solid top acoustic instruments because the new AE140 features a solid (okoume) top. The AE Series are for those of us who dislike excessive body depth but still insists on something substantial in terms of sound projection. It's now available at Swee Lee ($499).

Pics: Ibanez

Price watch (103)

Just to be clear, the objective of doing this is to give fellow gear enthusiasts a heads up when they are dealing with certain individuals who offer certain instruments at a certain price under the impression of perceived value. Take this Fender Modern Player Tele for instance. Just because it's a Fender & it's discontinued, doesn't mean it should sell for a fortune. It's a case by case consideration at best. Yes, the Modern Player Series had been discontinued but these were made in China. I've nothing against the Chinese Modern Player Series - I own three. These instruments were not even $800 when they debuted. An asking price in excess of $2k is a scalper's valuation.

Same seller but now a Gibson. Once again, riding on brand name & discontinued status, this asking price is unfounded to say the least. The Gibson Tribute Series, back in the day, was the more affordable version of the Studio range. The Studio remains to be Gibson's most affordable range to date. The Tribute was more affordable than the Studio because the manufacturer subtracted some finishing processes that added costs to its upper tier range. An obvious exclusion was the final lacquer overcoat. The current LP Studio lists for $2,399 (35 Guitar Avenue) & that's very close to this used Tribute which is at least 5 years old.

At the end of the day, it's your money. If you don't mind paying caviar prices for cod roe - it's your money.

Carcass now

This was in my SM feeds. We sometimes forget that our idols grow old over time & seeing them in their current condition could trigger denial. This is the legendary Carcass trio (L-R): Walker, Owen & Steer. 

Ken Owen suffered a brain haemorrhage in 1999 & was in coma for some time. Following his recovery, he was unable to drum due to neurological issues. He is currently still active making music via software assistance. Gentle reminder - we are mere mortals who are subjected to ageing & decay. Do manage expectations when we look forward to rediscover the status of our idols who, by now, have aged quite significantly. We tend to forget that back then, our heroes were already nearing mid-life & time didn't stand still for them. 

Lest we forget how good these people were (they are still amazing today), do take time to listen to Heartwork. Stay healthy, everyone. Let's age gracefully & not become a burden to others during our sunset years.

Pic: Amazon

More 75th

More Fender 75th Anniversary goodness from Japan, this finish is bona fide attraction. The burst effect was done on the pickguard as well as the headstock. By the way, the Tele feature a 4-way selector in case you're interested. Currently offered only as an online exclusive for the Japanese market. Bummer.

Pics: Fender

Ibanez April 2026: 8540PIII

Aw, darn... Ibanez elevated the 540P into its J-Custom tier. This gorgeous version is the 8540PIII with the rather obligatory gold hardware & TOL inlay. I guess these are obligatory details of a J-Custom which I personally do not fancy. Pickups are DiMarzio's Air Norton S (n) & Tone Zone (b).

Already, the beef with this one is that block heel; fans are asking why such a hindrance was preserved when everyone is looking forward to venture up to the 24th fret these days. Anyway, this one is currently not available in this region.

Pics: Ibanez

Hamer

If there is a big miss along the way, then it's my failure to check out Hamer guitars while they were still available here. Hamer guitars used to be available at City Music once upon a time. This was a long while ago when the ZOOM 505 was everyone's gateway to enjoying multi-effect goodness without spending a bomb. I don't recall seeing a V back then but I remember there was an Explorer-type as well as a DC-type models on display. Subsequently, the Californian was available albeit briefly. What a miss. Anyway, Morbid Angel's Trey used to play this absolutely cool Hamer Vector (depicted above) but some say it's not a real vector as the headstock there mimics the Gibson version more than an in-house Vector design.

Pics: C Martinez FB

UC update

Fender's new Ultra Core strings are now available at Swee Lee. Prices are as follows:

• Regular ball end (1250): $15
• Bullet end: (4250): $19

We can get a non-Fender ball end set for $9. We are paying more for the brand name, yes?

Pic: Fender

 

KOBA

I discovered this electronics spare store after talking to an acquaintance who used to work for Telecomms. That's right, before Sigtel was known by its current name, it used to be called Telecomms. Met him during the festive season gathering at one of my relative's residence. The conversation turned into gear talk when he found out that I play & maintain my instruments myself. He told me, back in the day, guitar spares were hard to come by as the guitar stores back then did not inventorize spare parts readily. According to him, this store depicted here used to be located in the Sim Lim area & had moved out to its current location at People's Park Complex (Chinatown). 

I decided to drop by & was surprised they have many electronic parts that are suitable for guitars / amps. There was a slider switch that's definitely compatible with Fender Jaguar / Jazzmaster. Many pots available for cheap. The catch here is that these are brandless & highly likely originated from China. I don't mind buying / using such items as long as they work well. Output jacks are available as well & these look suspiciously like some of well-known brands selling for way more at the guitar stores here. If you are interested, this store is located at LEVEL 3 & very proximate to the washroom. It's closed on Sunday.

G-Dist

No idea if this would be made available here. Fender's Godzilla Diction pedal (a distortion pedal) is already available in Japan. The manufacturer cites an op-amp based circuit which is not entirely exclusive because other manufacturers were there before Fender. There's an additional midrange trim pot which is located in the pedal's innards. Currently, the Japanese online store limits the purchase of this pedal to two per customer. Maybe something big is happening there. Maybe.

Pic: Fender

Explore

Is there an Epiphone that I won't hesitate buying in the mean time? Yes - it's the Explorer. This model is perhaps the least reworked in terms of outline & features when it comes to differentiating an Epiphone from a Gibson. The latest generation of Epiphone Explorers under the inspired by collection feature some trustworthy electronics (CTS / Switchcraft) as well so in my opinion, these are value for money.

The Explorer you see above is available at City Music for $999. If you are out & about in KL, be informed that Music Bliss has this on sale for MYR2,299 (SGD734). 

Pic: Sweetwater

Badder

Is Badder better? We shall see...

To be continued...

AEWC

It seems that Ibanez prides itself with acoustic guitars featuring captivating tops. This AEWC16QA (Swee Lee: $499). These look great if you wish for a commanding presence. We can agree that the true measure of a good sounding acoustic guitar is its inherent tone. This, in most part, is the role of the guitar's sound board. The basic understanding here is that a solid top acoustic guitar does wonders to tone, first & foremost. The guitar captivates the audience if it sounds incredible, nevermind if it looks plain & boring. This is the reason why you see the specialist names in acoustic craftsmanship - Martin, Taylor, Takamine et al - do not feature gaudy tops but focuses on making the instrument sound good.

I'm of the opinion that Ibanez makes too many acoustic models with very little intent in offering the buyer a good sounding instrument as opposed to a good looking instrument. That said, Ibanez has other series of guitars with dedicated tops to propel tone. Here's hoping the average Joe out there gets to own an affordable Ibanez acoustic with a solid top to say the least. We refer to names like Tanglewood, Sigma & Cort among others, that are able to do so.

75th UII

In the mean time, Fender has some 75th Anniversary stuff going & this Ultra II Tele is quite a stunner. That flip-flop finish is something that I like. As you can see, these are not meant to emulate the traditional Tele single coil tones as the bridge pickup is a humbucker (Fender's own Fastlane pickup). This one also sports a compound radius, together with the D-profile neck, the guitar moves away from traditional specs. Downright desirable but it's gonna be costly.

Pic: Fender

Grateful

I'm always grateful to colleagues who remember me for who I am; someone who is very gear-inclined. Guitar spoon: Was given by a colleague who was away in Japan for a holiday. She thought of me the instant she saw this. Clip-on tuner: My previous clip-on tuner which I kept at work had become dodgy over time. My colleague acknowledged the situation & secretly bought me this BOSS version. This was given to me during the end-of-year / Xmas gift exchange event before I said goodbye to the organization. It's good to have such colleagues.

Aidilfitri 2026

Only the passing of Ramadan would make me reflect on life's hits & misses. Nothing else. Time & again, I would give thanks to the fact that I got the change to see many Ramadans after my cancer bout. This year, I am grateful that I am needed for 10 more weeks at work & offered a new contract to see this through.

Wishing all Muslim readers & friends a blessed Eid. Do make time for your loved ones & remember those who have departed before us. We are next in line.

MoMM (63)

Holiday eve. Me time, music time.

• Panic: Epidemic. A friend introduced me to this band back in school (1991). I was already quite sick of the usual metal bands hogging the magazine's front pages - Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament et al. Nothing special, just a thrash band, a good one. Just couldn't quite come to terms with the '80s distortion sound; brash & semi-unlikable.
• Imperial Triumphant: Goldstar. Not everyone's idea of black metal especially when it includes some very jazzy & prog elements forcing you to shift into intellectual mode instead of getting lost in the drone. This album made it to the top 10 list of black metal releases in 2025. Was a little late to check them out. 

Holiday eve... what's everyone doing?

AZ ash

These are currently Japan-only releases; the AZ2402 sporting ash bodies. The fact that the ash grains were made visible & manifested a sand blasted look, they look darn cool. In any case, sand blasted looks were done by Schecter & Charvel among others, way before Ibanez did. By the way, the AZ2402 is just a whisker off $3K these days. By the time these are made available here, these would probably be in excess of $3K.

Pics: Ibanez Japan

Duncanized

Was at Beez's today to get pickups wired up for this one - RG565.

Nothing wrong with the default Ibanez pickups actually. In fact I've kept it in tact since Day 1 & tried my very best to like it. Unfortunately, after countless bitter episodes (tone-related), having my preferred pickups in there would certainly end this misery: Seymour Duncan Cool Rails (N) / PATB-2 (B). There is a dichotomized embrace out there with regards to the default pickups. Some say they sound more than decent, while others lobby for an immediate replacement. I agree with both opinions. The deafult Ibanez pickups sound perfectly acceptable if you run your guitar into a Quad Cortex / Tone Master or any of the contemporary digital processors. However, if you are the plug-&-play type (like yours truly), the pickups sound very underwhelming. 

Do note that the PATB models have this TREMBUCKER etching on the underside of the pickup's baseplate & does not sport the three holes in the mounting flap unlike its other TB siblings.

G290 Modern

If you are not too particular with brand names (I know many people today are still insecure playing stuff with an unknown pedigree) & choose to embrace quality instead, do check out the G290 Modern (Swee Lee: $699). It's a well-spec'd guitar; locking tuners, SD humbucker, roasted maple neck, SS frets, stuff like that. The overall design is also very simple & presentable. These aside, have you noticed that Cort prices are moving up to unfriendly / unattractive figures?

Pic: Cort

SC Monday

Yet another episode of staying indoors. The guitar if choice today was this PRS S2 Singlecut Standard in gold finish. Nothing fancy / special, just a singlecut with a limited run finish.

While playing, the knobs were rather stiff. A quick check revealed no deterioration / anomalies. A quick contact spray treatment did the trick. Those huge orange drop caps were replacement units for the default ones. The two volume pots are Gotohs while the tone pots (with default push-pull coil split options) are default units.

The humbuckers here are also replacement units, the 57/08 models which, as the name suggests, micmic the Gibson 57 models. I hear more treble coming from these pickups so they are my kinda pickups. Costly pair but worth every cent.

A pack of fresh SIT .0095s for the playing experience today.

S-Sunday

Another day of staying indoors & playing guitar. This is the SML721 featuring tilted frets. Tilted, not fanned because the first few frets are not tilted so there's no fanning out.

I happened to come across a pair of DiMarzio Fusion Edge pickups which were purchased (for a good price) & installed here. The FE has a hit / miss reputation & these are definitely a miss in this guitar. The last time I hear good stuff coming from the FEs were from an extended scale RGD. These have to go soon.

My final pack of DR 9s went into this guitar. For the kind of music I embrace, DR strings are the best but they cost a little more than the other strings brands out there. I will only purchase them during seasonal discounts.

S-Saturday

Nothing much today, staying indoors, had been having bouts of vertigo. This usually happens when they review my meds & prescribed an alternative medicine to reduce the dosage or address some concerns (nerve related). Anyway, the guitar of choice on this tipsy Saturday - S621. This guitar is tuned to fourths so that less thinking is required as I move across the fretboard. The downside - need to re-think my chords but I seldom play chords, maybe a few times a year at most. Hope your Saturday was more exciting than mine.

Sadowsky: Metro Express (2)

Tried this at Swee Lee - impressed. Yes, it's the more affordable Chinese Metro Line P Bass but it's one heck of a player. Surprisingly, despite its standard scale length, this bass is somewhat a tad lighter than the average Mexican P-Bass from the big F brand. It's an okoume body, by the way. I see this as a no frills, value for money bass ($999). 

Pic: Sadowsky

Artec @ SV

Artec pedals are clearing out at SV Guitars for $29.90 each. Click HERE to see more on the list.

Pic: SVG 

C-1 50th

These are now available at Davis GMC. Ash body & ebony 'board for both, the FR bridge there is the 1500 version & pickups are in-house Sunset Strip Anniversary edition less the Sustainiac.

Pics: Schecter

MoMM (62)

Finally, received these 2 in the mail...

Mayhem: Liturgy of Death

Personally, it's an underwhelming album compounded by the fact that it's too close to Daemon. I will continue to support them for their musicianship.

Dokken: Under Lock & Key

Yes, I'm still looking out for those glorious '80s releases. For this particular album, George Lynch, in my opinion, up his game guitar-wise. My go-to Dokken album had been Tooth & Nail but this one is slowly growing into me. Also, the guitar ideas here had been re-manifested elsewhere. If you are a Lynch fan, you'd know which one.

Ultra-core

Fender has new strings. They call it the Ultra Core. When was the last time you bought a pack of Fender strings? More importantly, when was the last time you bought a pack of Fender strings & actually like them? As for me, the last time I bought a pack of Fender strings were the bullet end ones, which got stuck in the trem block holes.

Pic: Fender

Strobo

Really hope this one isn't a hyped up tuner pedal. It's always good to have strobe tech in tuners to enhance accuracy. It's already sold out in Japan...

Pic: Fender

Raya deals @ Swee Lee

Swee Lee is having a Raya promo (block discounts) for many items on their list till 29 March.

Recommended: Jackson JS22 - no frills, affordable. That curved top is a touch of class.

Pic: SMusic

 

Prism mini

Positive Grid, JBL, Blackstar... & now Laney. The model you see here is the Prism mini, joining the aforementioned brand names in offering app-based amp portability. A quick check with Davis GMS - stocks are coming in soon.

Pic: Laney